The Fluff in the Fanfiction
by DaLiza
Summary: Short, sweet, sometimes funny BB one shots designed to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. Rated T for sexual content. Chapters 1-7 have BB in a relationship or starting one; Chapters 8-15 have BB marriage and children.
1. The Booths in the Bedroom

**AN: Thanks as always to my brilliant beta CalleighAryn for her support and suggestions. **

Brennan stood outside the doorway of the small bedroom, listening to her partner read a bedtime story to his son. The book sounded ridiculous-- who would say goodnight to a series of inanimate objects?--and yet both Booths appeared to be enjoying it. She wondered if her parents had read similarly illogical tales to her as a young child. After a moment of reflection, she decided that they probably had, but she didn't remember. She couldn't even remember being Parker's age. Had she really been that innocent once? Had she ever laughed the way Parker was laughing now? Had she ever looked at her own father the way Parker looked at his? The more she watched the father and son, the more she found herself wanting to join them, but she held herself back. She knew that Booth didn't get to see Parker as often as he would like, so she told herself that she wouldn't interrupt what little time they had together.

She saw Parker tug on his father's sleeve. "Will you read me another story, Dad? Please? Please? Just one more?"

"No, it's getting late. Time for--"

"Bones!" Parker shouted, noticing his father's girlfriend for the first time.

Booth turned to the doorway, smiling broadly as he saw his love. "Hey, Bones! Come on in."

"I don't want to interrupt a family moment."

Booth walked to the door and kissed her cheek. "You are family. Come in."

"You're sure that I'm not interrupting?"

"One hundred and ten percent sure."

"It's impossible to be one hundred and ten--"

"Okay, one hundred percent then." He offered her his hand and after a second's pause she took it, following him into the room.

"Can you read me a story, Bones?" Parker asked with pleading eyes.

"I'm certainly capable of reading you a story, but it sounded like your father was saying that it was time for you to go to sleep."

"Dad will say you can read me a story if you ask him. He does everything you ask him."

"That's true," Brennan admitted.

"Hey!" Booth interjected, a look of mock horror on his face. "Parker, I don't do _everything_ Bones asks me."

She smiled. "Almost everything." She put her arm around him. "So can I read Parker a story?"

"Please?" Parker added.

It was hard enough for Booth to say "no" to Parker or Bones individually. When the two of them were united, he didn't stand a chance. "Alright. One more story, and then bed. Okay?"

Parker nodded. "Okay."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Can Bones read me another story?" Parker asked when she had finished.

"No, no more stalling," Booth said in his most authoritarian voice. "It's past your bedtime." He kissed his son's forehead and adjusted the blankets on his bed. "Good night."

"Are you and Bones going to bed too?"

"Yeah," Booth answered. "We're very tired."

Brennan frowned. "I'm not."

"We're _very, very _tired," Booth said, winking at his partner.

"Dad, why did you wink at Bones?"

"I didn't wink. There was just something in my eye." He kissed him again. "I love you. Good night."

"Good night, Dad. Good night, Bones."

Brennan ruffled his curls. "Good night, Parker."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Do you really want to go to sleep?" Brennan asked as they walked down the hall to Booth's bedroom.

"No. I only told Parker that so he wouldn't feel bad about having to go to bed."

"So you lied to him."

"Not exactly." He leaned close to whisper in her ear. "I'm not ready to go to sleep, but I do want to go to bed. Care to join me?"

"Will I get a bedtime story too?" She teased.

Booth thought about it for a few moments. "Once upon a time, there was a strong, handsome FBI agent who worked with a brilliant, beautiful, fearless forensic anthropologist."

"Nice alliteration."

"Thanks. So the FBI agent fell hopelessly in love with the anthropologist, but he hid his feelings for years because he didn't want to screw up their friendship. Then one day he went to a party in the Kingdom of the Squints and drank a magical truth serum--"

"It wasn't magic, Booth," Brennan interrupted. "It was alcohol. A vast quantity of alcohol."

"It's my story, Bones, let me finish. He drank a magical truth serum and told her he loved her. She realized that she loved him back and they--"

"Had sex in her office," Brennan recalled.

"No."

"Yes, we did! I know; I was there."

Booth laughed. "I was there too, but I was going to say 'and they lived happily ever after. The end.'" Folding his arms around her, he kissed her slowly and sweetly. "So what do you think?"

Smiling, she grabbed his hand, pulling him into his bedroom. "It's perfect."

XXXXXXXXXX

**In case you didn't catch the reference, the book Booth was reading to Parker was "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown.**

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


	2. The Idiot in the Bookstore

Booth didn't own many books (chasing murderers all day rarely left him in the mood to read), but he had all of Brennan's in a special spot on his bookcase. He'd gotten her last book straight from the author herself, after hinting for weeks that a signed copy would make an excellent birthday present. When she finally gave it to him, he joked that he could sell it on eBay for big bucks…and then had to explain what eBay was. His copies of her books had seen a good deal of wear (especially the pages containing graphic love scenes between a certain forensic anthropologist and her FBI partner), but he wasn't planning on buying new ones. Yet, as if he were on autopilot, his feet led him to his local bookstore's mystery aisle while his girlfriend browsed in another section. When he saw Bred in the Bone on the shelf, he absentmindedly flipped through it until a strange voice interrupted his thoughts.

"You a Temperance Brennan fan too?"

When Booth turned to see who had spoken, he found a man in his early to mid twenties with brown eyes and brown curly hair that reminded him of Sweets. "Yeah." He smiled to himself. "Big fan."

"I saw her in person at a book signing last year," the young man said proudly. "The picture on her book jacket doesn't do her justice. She's hot. _Way_ hot. She's got the whole package, if you know what I mean."

Booth frowned. "I know what you mean." He turned away from him, praying that would be the end of the conversation, but his prayers went unanswered.

"I always wonder how much of her work is fiction and how much really happened. She is an anthropologist in real life, you know, and she does work with the FBI. But Andy seems a little too stupid to be a real FBI agent. He--"

"Hey!" Booth whirled around to face him. "Andy is _not_ stupid! He may not understand all the squinty talk that Kathy and the others rattle off, but he has good gut instincts and he always gets the bad guy in the end."

The young man chuckled. "Only after Kathy tells him who the bad guy is."

Booth decided that he hated this kid. "They work _together_. They're partners."

"Partners with benefits," he said with a smirk. "How hot was that scene with Andy and Kathy in the back of the car at the end of Red Tape, White Bones? It was too good to be totally fiction. She must be an awesome lay in real life."

Booth glared at the kid as if he were a suspect in his interrogation room. "In _real life, _she's an incredible woman who dedicates herself to identifying murder victims and bringing their killers to justice. She's a real person worthy of respect. You understand?"

The young man smiled. "Sounds like you've got a crush on her."

"I'm not in middle school anymore, kid. I don't have crushes."

"Alright then. It sounds like you _love_ her," the young man teased.

"My relationship with Bones is none of your business."

"You have a nickname for her? Dude, you're totally obsessed. You'd probably wet yourself if you ever saw her in person."

Booth rolled his eyes. "I see her in person every day."

"How? Are you stalking her or something?"

"No, I'm not stalking her! I work with her. I'm her _partner_."

The young man looked at Booth as if he had said he was abducted by aliens. "Sure you are. You and every other guy who hangs out in the Brennanite chat rooms all day."

"I don't have time to hang out in the Brennanite chat rooms all day; I work for the FBI."

"_You_ work for the FBI?"

"Yeah, I do." Booth took his badge out of his pocket and showed it to him.

"That looks fake; you could have gotten it online. Do you have handcuffs?"

Booth's hand went to another pocket but found it empty. "I must have left them at home."

"Actually, you left them at my apartment last night," Booth's girlfriend interrupted as she walked up behind him. "What's going on, Booth?"

The kid's face paled and his mouth dropped open. "You're…you're…oh my God."

She stared at him. "You appear to be having difficulty breathing. Do you require medical attention?"

"No, no...I'm…uh…I'm…"

Brennan turned to her partner. "Is he on drugs?"

"No!" The young man shouted. "I'm not on drugs, I just…wasn't expecting…to see you. You're…oh wow. You're really Temperance Brennan, aren't you?"

"Yes," she answered. "Who are you?"

"Jake…uh…Jake Murphy."

Booth couldn't help grinning at Jake's discomfort. "Jake was telling me how much he loved your books, Bones."

Brennan smiled. "I'm pleased that you enjoyed them."

"Yeah, me too," Jake said, looking as if he was about to vomit. "Well, I…I have to go now. It was…uh…really…nice to meet you." He turned around and ran out of the aisle.

"Why was he acting so strangely?" Brennan asked. "Do you think he was lying about not being on drugs?"

Booth laughed. "Maybe. Or maybe he was just nervous. You're kind of a celebrity, Bones, and a lot of people get tongue tied around celebrities." He motioned to the large shopping bag hanging from her arm. "Did you find all the books you were looking for?"

"Most of them. They didn't have Peru's Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest: Huamanga To 1640 or The Physical Anthropology of the Maori Moriori."

"It's probably hard to keep bestsellers like those on the shelves," Booth joked. "Do you want to try another store?"

"That's not necessary; they're going to special order them for me. What about you? Did you find anything that you wanted?"

He slid his arms around her waist. "I already have everything I want."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	3. The Love in the Heart

**AN: Dedicated to moosemer11, who requested a story on this theme. Hope you enjoy!**

**AN2: Unlike the first two chapters, this chapter is set in Booth and Brennan's "just partner" days.**

**AN3: Thanks as always to my incomparable beta CalleighAryn, who makes everything I write better.**

XXXXXXXXXX

"We need to talk," Angela announced as she strode into Brennan's office and plopped herself down on the couch.

Brennan kept her eyes on her paperwork. "Can we talk later, Ange? I'm extremely busy right now."

"You said that yesterday. No more procrastinating, sweetie. 'Later' is _now_."

"What do we need to talk about?"

"You."

Brennan looked up in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, you. It seems like you've been really down lately."

"Down?"

"You know, depressed. Will you tell me why?"

Brennan's eyes returned to her desk. "Not now."

Angela let out an exasperated sigh. "I shouldn't have made it sound like you had a choice. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing."

"Liar. Can you at least look at me?'

Brennan lifted her eyes to meet Angela's. "It's very important that I get this done."

"You're just using work as an excuse to avoid discussing your feelings."

"It's not an excuse; I do have to write my report for the Willingham case as soon as possible."

"Okay. Tell me what's been bothering you and I'll let you get back to work."

"But talking about it won't change anything."

"It might. You still consider me a friend, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then let me be your friend. Let me try to help you. Please, Bren."

"Alright. I admit that recently I've been unhappy, although logically I shouldn't be. I'm at the top of my field and I enjoy working with my team and my partner. I have a highly successful and lucrative hobby which has brought me some acclaim. I have family members who are no longer incarcerated. I'm very intelligent and I've earned the respect of my peers and subordinates. I'm in good health and physically fit. I've been told that I'm attractive and I've been complimented numerous times on my sexual prowess--"

"Whoa. Now you're making _me_ depressed," Angela joked.

"Sorry."

"I was only kidding. Go on."

"Well, I have several things in my life that _should_ make me happy, but…lately it doesn't seem to be enough. I feel like something's missing."

"Do you have any idea what that something might be?"

"I have a reasonable hypothesis."

"So tell me."

"I believe I'm missing…what you and Hodgins have."

"Really amazing, fantastic, mind blowing sex?"

"That would be satisfactory too, but I was referring to your emotional intimacy. Every time I see the two of you together I feel slightly…envious. I wonder if anyone will ever love me as much as Hodgins loves you."

"Sweetie, you already have someone who loves you that much. I'll give you a hint. His last name starts with 'B' and ends with 'ooth'."

"Booth cares about me as a partner and friend, but we'll never be anything more. He said that there's a line people who work together shouldn't cross."

"What a man says and what he actually feels are often two different things. Believe me, Bren, he crossed that line with you years ago."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You've been very quiet today, Bones," Booth said as they sat in the diner the next day. "What's on your mind?"

"I've been thinking about something Angela said yesterday. Do you think that we've already crossed the line?"

"What?"

"I've been considering the evidence. There's our so-called 'guy hugs'--truthfully, I've never observed two males in our society who hug in that manner. There's the way you touch my back, the little presents you give me, the number of meals we share, all the things you've done to help my family, such as letting Russ see his daughter in the hospital, arranging testimony for his hearing, kissing me in my office so my father could have his Christmas and then bringing us a tree." She smiled as she remembered Booth standing in the snow with Parker. "We haven't kept an entirely professional distance, have we?"

Booth blushed. "No. Not entirely."

"So you concur that we've already crossed the line."

"Maybe…a little bit."

"And yet our work hasn't been affected. We're still very good at what we do. Agreed?"

"Yeah. We're the best."

"Then we could try going further. We could engage in a physical relationship…if you want."

Booth's eyes widened. "What?"

"We should have sex."

Booth nearly choked on his piece of pie. "I…I…wow, Bones…I, uh…I--"

"Never mind," Brennan snapped, jumping out of the booth and racing towards the door. "Clearly I misjudged the extent of your feelings for me."

"Bones, wait!" When she ignored him, Booth threw a twenty dollar bill on the table and sprinted after her. He managed to catch her around the corner from the diner, gently putting his arms around her to keep her from running again. "Hold on a minute."

"Let me go, Booth."

"Just listen. You didn't misjudge the extent of my feelings for you, okay? You just caught me off guard. I thought I might have been hallucinating because until now you've only said things like that in my fantasies."

"You have fantasies about us becoming sexually involved?"

Booth smiled. "Every day, Bones."

"So are you ready for the real thing? You told me once that everything happens eventually…and I think 'eventually' is now." Throwing her arms around his neck, she brought his mouth to hers for a flotilla's worth of steamboats… or two…until he broke away suddenly. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted me."

"I do, Bones, more than anything," he said breathlessly. "But before we go further, you need to know that I want more than a physical relationship." He extended a hand to stroke her cheek. "I want your heart too, because mine has been yours for a long time now."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You have it, Booth." As he enveloped her in an embrace that was much more than a guy hug, she savored the sensation of being really, _truly_ loved.

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	4. The Words in the Woods

**AN: In this one shot, BB are already in a romantic relationship. Thanks again to CalleighAryn for her mad beta'ing skills!**

XXXXXXXXXX

"I believe that's _Quercus alba_," Brennan told Booth, pointing to a tree beside the deserted forest trail where they strolled hand in hand. She walked towards it to get a better look. "It's beautiful." She took a seat beneath its leafy branches.

Booth glanced at the tree for a few seconds before he sat down next to her. "It's nice, but not half as beautiful as you are." He flashed her a brilliant smile and kissed her cheek. "So what's _Quercus alba _in English? Something white?"

She smiled as she turned to face him. "White oak. I'm impressed that you know that, Booth."

Booth's chest swelled with pride. "I took a year of Latin in high school." He failed to mention that his high school had required it, or that it had been one of his worst subjects. If only he'd known that twenty years later he'd be using it to impress the love of his life, he would have tried a lot harder. "Amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant," he chanted, drudging up the verb forms from some distant corner of his brain. "I love, you love, he/she/it loves, we love, you all love, they love." A flash of inspiration struck. "Hey, what's the Latin word for 'you'?"

"The form depends on how the word is used in a sentence," she explained in her professorial tone. "It would be 'tu' for a subject, 'tui' for possession, 'tibi' for an indirect object, or 'te' for a direct object or the object of certain prepositions."

Booth felt as if his brain was drowning in quicksand. "Yeah. Okay….So which one would I use for the sentence 'I love you'?"

"In that sentence, 'you' is a direct object, so you'd use 'te.'"

"Te amo, Bones," he said with a kiss. "Now I can tell you that I love you in two languages."

"I can say it in ten," she teased, kissing him longer and harder.

"Ten? Wow," he panted when she released his lips. "Will the brilliant Professor Brennan teach me?"

"Alright. We'll start with Romance languages."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I like the sound of that."

She laughed softly. "Romance languages are languages derived from Latin."

"Oh." Hoping to redeem himself, he asked: "Spanish is a Romance language, right?"

Brennan nodded. "In Spanish, you could say te amo, the same as Latin, or te quiero, which is more commonly used."

"Te quiero then." His mouth found hers once more. "So now I'm up to _three _languages."

"Ready for a fourth?"

"Bring it on, Bones."

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "Bring what on?"

Booth grinned. He had always thought that her pop culture ignorance was one of her most endearing traits. "It means that I'm ready."

"Very well. 'I love you' in Italian is similar to Spanish and Latin; it's ti amo."

"Ti amo," he repeated, kissing her again.

"And in French, it's Je t'aime."

"JE T'AIME," Booth repeated in an exaggerated French accent he had heard used in movies. He leaned towards her for another kiss, but stopped when she burst out laughing. "What?"

"Why did you say it like that?"

"That's my French accent."

"That's _not_ a French accent. You should try it again."

"Jeesh, Bones, you're so demanding," he joked.

"You said that you wanted me to teach you," she said seriously.

"You're right; I'll try again." He repeated the phrase and waited for her reaction. "How was that?"

"Better. Almost perfect."

"I'll try it one more time then. _Je t'aime_. Did I get it right?"

"Close enough." She grabbed his shirt, pulling him to her for a very long, very French kiss. When it ended, she took a few moments to refill her lungs. "Those… are all the… Romance languages… I know. We can do German next. It's ich liebe dich."

"Ich liebe dich," Booth repeated. No longer content with her mouth alone, he kissed his way down her throat until he was stopped by the edges of her low cut shirt.

Brennan pushed him away just long enough to take her shirt off. "Wo ai ni… is… Mandarin… Chinese."

"Wo ai ni," he echoed. He slid her bra straps down her shoulders and closed his mouth over her right breast, his tongue skillfully stroking her nipple.

"Oh God, Boooooooth…"

He pulled his mouth away to speak. "That was English," he teased. "Don't you owe me a few more languages, Professor Brennan?"

She slipped her fingers under the waistband of his boxers and smiled at his surprised gasp. "Class is over."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	5. The Blonde in the Restaurant

**AN: Inspired by HollywoodDramaQueen's lovely story "Sitting on the Shelf".**

**AN2: Thanks again to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, and to my wonderful beta CalleighAryn.**

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth was always encouraging Brennan to develop her gut instincts, and right now those instincts were telling her that the beautiful blonde sitting alone at the corner table across the restaurant was watching them…or, more specifically, was watching Booth. The intensity of the woman's gaze disturbed her. Was the blonde a serial killer eyeing Booth as her next victim? If so, Brennan would protect him just as he always protected her. She would use her extensive knowledge of martial arts to subdue the woman, or threaten her with her gun…no, she had left her gun at home because it was too big for her purse. She would take Booth's gun and tell the woman to stay the hell away from him or she would be forced to inflict a severe or, if absolutely necessary, fatal--

It was possible that she was overreacting; female serial killers were relatively rare. Maybe the woman wasn't a killer. Perhaps she was only admiring Booth's symmetrical features and thinking that he could be a good potential mate. If that was the case, Brennan couldn't fault her for recognizing what an impressive specimen of manhood her lover was. On the other hand, she didn't want the blonde to get her hopes up. Maybe if Brennan showed her that Booth was taken, she would set her sights on someone else. Holding his hand might do it… or leaning across the table to give him a little kiss…or grabbing his tie, yanking him towards her so that she could feast upon those luscious lips while her hands moved down his hard body all the way to his--

That would be inappropriate behavior for a crowded public setting. Looking around the restaurant, Brennan noted that there were other attractive men (although none as sexy as Booth) sitting at tables around them. What if the blonde were actually looking at one of them? How could she know for sure? In the lab she was able to test her hypotheses using proven scientific methods, but how did one test something as intangible as intuition? She decided that there was only one way. When Booth excused himself to go to the bathroom, Brennan approached the blonde's table.

"Excuse me," Brennan said when she arrived at her destination. "Were you staring at my --" She had almost said 'partner', but stopped herself because she didn't want the blonde to think that she and Booth were only colleagues. "At my date or at someone else? I won't be offended if you were; I only want to see if my theory was correct."

The pale blonde turned bright red. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stare. It was just weird watching Seeley with another woman."

Brennan was taken aback at the woman's use of Booth's first name. "You know Booth?"

"We dated for a few weeks last year. Have you two been dating long?"

"This is only our third date," Brennan admitted. It was their third "official" date; if she counted all the times they had shared a meal or met for coffee outside of work, they had been on hundreds of dates.

The blonde was quiet for a few moments. "There's something you should know about Seeley. I know he seems to be a really good catch. He's a handsome guy… a war hero…. a crime fighter…a caring father…and, of course, he's got it going on down there--"

"Meaning he's good in bed?" Brennan interrupted. She couldn't dispute that. Booth knew how to please her as well as she knew the bones of the human body. If being a thoughtful lover were an academic subject, he'd have as many doctorates as she did.

"Oh yeah." She grinned, but then her mood turned serious. "But, honey, I wouldn't get too attached to him."

"Why not?" Was she planning on killing Booth after all?

"He may not know it yet, but he's hopelessly in love with his partner."

Brennan bit her lip to keep herself from smiling. "How do you know that?"

"His face would light up like a Christmas tree whenever he talked about her…and he talked about her _a lot_. That's why I ended it."

Brennan's curiosity was piqued. "What did he say?"

"That she was a genius. She has a doctorate degree--"

"Three degrees," Brennan corrected.

"Three? Oh wow. Well, that doesn't surprise me. He did say she was at the top of her field and completely dedicated to her work. She's like one of those scientists on CSI."

"What's CSI?"

The woman studied her for several seconds, trying to judge if Brennan was joking or not. "It stands for 'Crime Scene Investigation.' It's a show about scientists solving murders. It's one of the most popular shows on tv _and_ it has two spin-offs. You've really never heard of it?"

"No, not until now."

"Wow. You must be living in a cave in the middle of nowhere or something."

Brennan frowned. "No, I have an apartment here in D.C. A very nice apartment."

The blonde laughed. "You have a good sense of humor."

Brennan hadn't been trying to be funny, but she supposed that it was a compliment and she should respond accordingly. "Thank you."

"I bet Seeley thinks you're funny too, and I'm sure he sees how pretty you are, but in the end it won't be enough. He talked about his partner as if she were the best woman in the world. He told me how, when she's not being this genius scientist who helps him catch the bad guys, she writes these amazing novels based on her life. Are you familiar with them?"

Brennan suppressed another smile. "Very familiar."

"I read the first one. I thought the descriptions of the bodies they found were kind of disgusting, and the science stuff was boring sometimes, but the Kathy/Andy romance was so hot that it made up for it."

Brennan recalled reading similar opinions in her fan mail. "I believe many people feel that way."

"Many, _many_ people," the blonde said with a nod. "They're bestsellers, so you know she's making a ton of money. Plus, she's a martial arts expert who can beat up these big, strong guys and she knows a bunch of different languages because she's traveled all over the world digging up bones. You would think someone so smart probably wouldn't be attractive too, but when I said that to Seeley he got offended and said she was beautiful. He's put her up on a pedestal so high that no normal woman can compete with her. You'd be better off dumping him before he realizes he loves her and breaks your heart."

Brennan couldn't hold back her smile any longer. Booth had told her that he loved her since they had begun their romantic relationship, but hearing how he had talked about her with such reverence to a woman he had dated a year ago filled her with warmth. "I appreciate your concern, but it's unnecessary. He's already realized that he loves me, and I've realized that I love him back."

The blonde's eyes widened. "Oh my God. You're--"

"Bones!" Booth called out as he approached the table. "There you are. Who are you talking--" He trailed off when he recognized the blonde. "Stacy?"

"Good to see you again, Seeley. How have you been?"

Booth put his arm around Brennan's shoulders and smiled. "Very good, thanks. How about you?"

"Fine, thank you." The three of them stood in awkward silence for a few moments before Stacy spoke again. "I should get going. You two enjoy the rest of your night."

"You too," Booth and Brennan said together.

"I didn't know that you knew Stacy," Booth said as they watched his ex exit the restaurant.

"I just met her. I came over to her table because I noticed her staring at you, and we started conversing."

"What were you talking about?"

"You. She was telling me that I should dump you."

"What?" Booth's face paled. "Why?"

"Because you're in love with your partner."

Booth breathed a long sigh of relief. "Oh. Well, that's true." He gave her a tender kiss. "Are you ready to get out of here?" Brennan nodded, and they made their way out of the restaurant to Booth's car.

"Did you talk about me at length to _all_ of your previous dates?" She asked as they got in the car.

Booth smiled. "You're an important part of my life, Bones. It was hard _not_ to talk about you."

"I guess that would explain why you haven't had a long term romantic relationship since the beginning of our partnership."

"The past doesn't matter, Bones." He covered her hand with his. "I'm in a long-term relationship _now_."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	6. The Organ in the Woman

**AN: Thanks to Mare, my marvelous medical advisor, CalleighAryn, my skillful beta, and all my wonderfully encouraging readers.**

**AN2: Spoilers for season three's "The Mummy in the Maze."**

XXXXXXXXXX

"You nervous about tomorrow?" Booth whispered the fourth time he heard their bed squeak as Brennan changed positions. He reached for the light so they could talk face to face, but pulled his fingers back at the last second. What if she was only turning in her sleep? If she was asleep, he wouldn't want the light to wake her--a woken up in the middle of the night Bones was _not_ a happy Bones, and a not happy Bones was capable of frightening things.

Several seconds passed in silence, but the moment he decided that she had to be asleep she answered him. _Typical Bones_, he thought, smiling to himself. _She's always proving me wrong._

"Being nervous would be a waste of time and energy; worrying about the outcome of an event won't change it. Dr. Berwyn has performed hundreds of successful liver transplants involving living donors. It is possible that something could go wrong during our surgeries…doctors are only human and do make mistakes…or that we might experience complications afterward…but, statistically speaking, we should be fine."

When her voice faltered on the word 'fine', Booth wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the scent of her lavender shampoo and relishing the feel of her silk nightgown against his bare chest. "I'm nervous, too."

She felt tears running down her cheeks and was grateful that Booth couldn't see them. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. You've already done so much for me, Booth. You shouldn't have to risk your life to save mine."

Booth didn't need to see her face to know she was crying. He placed gentle kisses on her forehead and cheeks, tasting her tears. "I'd do anything to save you, Bones." When her tears became audible, he lightened his tone. "It's not a big deal, really. They're only taking a piece of my liver. It'll grow back."

"It _is_ a big deal. By this time tomorrow, a part of your body will be inside me."

Booth's lips curled in a mischievous grin. "That's nothing new. You've had a part of me inside you many, many…._many_ times before."

She smiled in spite of herself. "But never a vital organ."

"I'd consider my penis a _very_ vital organ," he said, hoping to make her laugh. It didn't work.

"Technically it's not, and this is a completely different situation. It won't be you and me in bed together, giving each other pleasure. It will be you and a group of doctors who will drug you and cut you open." She ran her hands along his smooth chest and shuddered as she imagined a scalpel slicing through it. "It won't be an enjoyable experience, and when you wake up, you'll be disoriented and--"

"Don't feel sorry for me, Bones." He took her hands in his. "No one's forcing me to do this; I _want_ to do it."

"You _want_ to be operated on? You want to spend days in a hospital hooked up to machines monitoring your vital signs… taking pain medication…needing others to help you perform the most basic tasks…followed by idle weeks at home recovering your strength?"

"If that's what it takes to save you, then yes."

More tears raced each other down her face. "I don't deserve you, Booth."

"You're wrong, Bones. I don't deserve--." He felt her lips on his and kissed her back without hesitation. "We should probably try to get some sleep," he said when she finally released his mouth.

"I don't think I can sleep right now."

"Maybe I can help. Just close your eyes and try to relax." He moved his hands in soothing circles up and down her back until she surrendered to sleep, then allowed himself to do the same.

XXXXXXXXXX

Twelve hours later, Booth and Brennan checked into the hospital and were prepped for surgery. They stayed together for as long as the doctors would let them, each putting on a brave face for the other. Eventually, a nurse led Booth to his own room, where a seemingly never-ending parade of doctors brought him paperwork to sign and drugs to take. What felt like an eternity later, Dr. Berwyn announced that they were ready to go. "Any last questions or concerns?" She asked.

"No…just promise me that you'll take good care of Bones."

"I will."

Booth saw the hint of a smile on her lips. "What?"

"Dr. Brennan made me promise that I'd take good care of _you_."

XXXXXXXXXX

Only seconds after his conversation with Dr. Berwyn (or so it seemed; in reality it had been hours), Booth opened his eyes to a strange sight-- white curtains surrounding his bed. Had Bones redecorated their room without telling him? Slowly, slowly he realized that he wasn't in his own bed. Where was he then? The beeping machines around him suggested he was in a hospital. A hospital? What was he doing in a hospital? Had he gotten blown up again? No, that wasn't it. He had been blown up enough times to know what _that_ felt like. So what had happened to him? Bones! He had given Bones a part of his liver, and now he was in the recovery room. How was she? Was she recovering here too? "Bones?" He croaked. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "BONES?"

Brennan awoke at the sound of his voice. "Booth?" she whispered.

"BONES?" He called again, his panic rising.

"I'm here," she said louder, straining to make herself heard. "I'm…I'm okay."

Booth sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"That's the third time he's woken up in the last couple hours, and every time the first word out of his mouth is his nickname for Dr. Brennan," one nurse remarked to another as they heard the exchange. "They've got to be the cutest couple I've ever seen."

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, Booth woke up again when Dr. Berwyn and a few residents came to check on him. "How are you feeling, Agent Booth?" Dr. Berwyn asked when Booth opened his eyes.

He wouldn't answer her question until she answered his. "How's Bones?"

She smiled to reassure him. "Her surgery went as planned and she appears to be recovering nicely."

"Thank you so much, Doctor. I don't know what I would do if she had….thank you."

"You're welcome. Your own surgery was also very successful, in case you were wondering. How are you feeling?"

"I've felt worse," he said, remembering the times he had been shot, tortured, blown up or forced to attend therapy sessions with Sweets. "When can I see her?"

"You can see her now. She's been waiting for you to wake up." Dr. Berwyn pulled back the curtains around Booth's bed, revealing Bones in the bed beside him. "Let us know if you need anything." She and others left to give the couple some privacy.

"Booth." Brennan smiled as she turned to face him. "They wanted to take me to my own room, but I wouldn't let them."

"That's my girl. How do you feel?"

She sighed. "Alright, I think, but we're not out of the trees--"

"Woods, Bones," Booth interrupted. "Out of the woods."

"That too. What if my body rejects your liver?"

He shook his head. "It won't. It will realize what an awesome liver it is and welcome it with open arms."

Her smile returned. "Thank you again, Booth. You've given me an amazing gift."

"There isn't anything I wouldn't give you, you know."

"Not entirely true," she said thoughtfully.

"What?" A G-man's salary didn't leave a lot of money for luxuries, but hadn't he given her everything he could?

"You never gave me a gun," she teased.

_Okay, everything but that. _

"I had to buy one at the mall, and it was too big for me, remember? I'm sorry that I shot you with it."

He laughed. "That's alright, Bones. Seeing you in that sexy Wonder Woman costume dulled the pain."

She licked her lips. "You were sexy in your squint costume too."

"Hey, I just had a great idea for how we could celebrate our recovery…when we've recovered."

"Sexual role play as Wonder Woman and that guy in the glasses?"

Booth's mouth went dry. "Clark Kent. That's..that's a great idea too, but I was thinking that I'd get you a Bureau gun and we'd go to the FBI shooting range. Sound good?"

"Yes…but don't complain when I shoot better than you."

"Very cocky, Bones."

"It's the part of you inside me," she joked.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Dr. Brennan?" A nurse said as he approached her. The young man's face was much too eager for Booth's liking.

"No thank you," Brennan answered. The nurse reluctantly turned around and left. A few minutes later, one of the residents Booth had seen earlier came in and asked the same question. He too looked disappointed when Brennan sent him away.

"You're very popular around here," Booth observed. Were these guys actually trying to hit on his girlfriend right in front of him? When he got his strength back, he could kick both of their asses.

"Several doctors and nurses here are fans of my books," Brennan explained.

"And your looks too, I bet."

She laughed softly. "I've just had a major operation. I doubt that I look good right now."

"You're beautiful to me, Bones." He flashed her the thousand watt charm smile.

She blushed. "But you're biased."

A smiling young resident approached Brennan's bed. "I don't have a bias, and I'll have to agree that you're looking very well right now." His smile vanished when he noticed Booth scowling at him. "Is there, uh, anything I can do for you, Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan had a sudden burst of inspiration. "When Agent Booth is off his liquid diet, can you give him a lot of pudding?"

"Uh…sure. No problem," he answered before slinking away.

Booth grinned. "I love you, Bones."

She gazed into the eyes she knew so well and yet could never get enough of. "I love you too."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	7. The Partners in the Alley

**AN: Set in the "just partners" days. Thanks as always to my fantastic readers and my dedicated beta CalleighAryn.**

XXXXXXXXXX

"I've never done this before," Brennan confessed as she walked beside her partner through the dimly lit alley.

Booth gave her a comforting smile. "I know, Bones. Don't worry about it. I'll show you how it's done."

"How long have you been doing this?"

He searched his memory, trying to recall his first time. "I started when I was twelve…maybe thirteen."

"So you've had more than twenty years to hone your skills. You must be very good by now."

"I was better when I had more time to practice, but I'm still pretty good. I think even the great Dr. Brennan, Queen of the Squints, will be impressed."

She laughed at the title he had given her. "We'll see about that," she said playfully.

"All in good time, Bones," he said with a smile. "But right now we need to find you a ball."

"Why can't I play with your balls?" She motioned to the bowling bag hanging from his shoulder.

Booth's body temperature skyrocketed as his brain imagined a _very_ different context for her words. "Bowling balls come in different weights. Mine are too heavy for you."

Brennan was offended. "I'm stronger than you think, Booth. I bet I could handle your balls."

_Oh yeah she could. She could handle them all night lo--whoa. Stop right there. Get your mind out of the gutter. _"But the holes are too big for your fingers." _That sounded horribly wrong._

She noticed her partner's face reddening. "Are you blushing?"

_Damn_. _Nice job betraying me there, body._ "No, I'm just warm. It's really warm in here."

Brennan looked at him with concern. "It seems very cold to me. Maybe you're getting sick." She put her hand to his forehead. "I don't think you have a fever," she said when she pulled her hand back moments later. "But I have a bottle of aspirin in my purse if you'd like some."

_She's so sweet. _"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine. Really."

"Alright, but if you're feeling warm you should take your jacket off."

_You talking about taking off clothes won't help me cool down. _"I will. Let's get you a ball first, okay?" He steered her to the ball racks along the walls, trying heroically not to let his mind wander as she stuck her fingers in and out of various balls. When his fantasies became too vivid, he excused himself to go to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and forced himself to think of the most disgusting remains he and Bones had ever investigated, a trick which usually squelched any lustful thoughts. After he found his self-control again, he rejoined his partner, who had finally picked a ball, and they headed to their assigned lane.

Once they arrived, Booth set his bowling bag on the floor and took his balls out, placing them in the oval track encircling the ball return. Then he removed his leather jacket, revealing his form fitting "Guys and Dolls" t-shirt, and draped it over a chair. When he turned back to Brennan, he saw her studying her surroundings curiously, her ball still in her hands, looking very much like the proverbial fish out of water. Trying not to think about how cute she looked, he led her up to the lane with his hand on her back. "We're going to start at these dots here, take four steps up to the line, and throw the ball, aiming for the second and third arrows on the right. I'll be beside you the whole way." He felt her muscles tense beneath his hand. "Relax, Bones. This isn't a life and death situation. We're not Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan right now. We're just Booth and Bones, two partners having a little fun."

"I won't have fun if you laugh at me for throwing it in the gutter."

He rubbed her back. "I won't laugh at you. I promise."

"You laughed at my Smurfette story when you promised you wouldn't."

_In my defense, it was a funny story. _"I'll tell you what. If I laugh at your bowling, you can kick my ass."

She smiled. "I can, you know."

_Oh, I know_. "But you won't have to. I'll keep my promise."

Taking comfort in his words, she followed his instructions exactly and watched as her ball rolled down the lane and hit the center pin, starting a chain reaction which knocked down all ten pins. "Like that?"

Booth's mouth dropped open. "Yeah. Just like that."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Thank you for teaching me how to bowl, Booth," Brennan said as they sat together on her couch later that night. "You were right; it was fun."

"Glad to hear it, Bones. I still can't believe you beat me that last game. Your third game _ever_ and you beat me." _But why should I be surprised? You're good at everything you do. _

"Well, I had beginner's luck on my side."

"It wasn't just luck. You were incredible…just like always." _I was kidding myself to think that I would ever be worthy of you._

She sensed that something was bothering him and wondered what it was. Was he feeling sick after all? Or was it that she had bruised his ego by beating him in a game he considered his domain? He didn't have any outward signs of illness, so it was probably the latter. Maybe she could make him feel better by giving his self- esteem a boost. "You're incredible yourself, Booth."

"You think so?" His face brightened slightly.

"I do. You're an exceptional friend and partner." Seeing a smile form on his lips, she continued. "You're also a devoted father. Parker is very lucky to have you in his life."

"Thanks, Bones." Now his smile was complete.

"Do you think you'll have more children someday?"

"I don't know. I'd want to find the right woman first." _But I'm never going to find someone more right than you._

"Any woman would be lucky to have you."

"Really?" _Any woman? Does that include you? __Do you want me as much as I want you? Do you want me to kiss you…undress you…break the laws of physics with…whoa, hold on, body. Don't get too excited…don't get too excited…remember the body parts you found in that bathtub filled with chemicals…yucky, slimy body parts…it's not working!_

Brennan blushed as she realized what she had said. "From a purely scientific viewpoint, you have symmetrical features, good muscle definition…" Her eyes unconsciously traveled down his body,stopping when she saw the bulge in his pants.

Booth followed her gaze. _OH CRAP! _He leapt up from the couch. "I…uh…I'm gonna go."

Jumping to her feet, she put her hands on his chest. "Don't go," she pleaded, her voice breathless with desire. Before Booth had a chance to protest, she grabbed his leather jacket and seized his lips.

Booth's heart was a jackhammer in his chest as he reluctantly pulled away. "We shouldn't…be doing this…should we?"

"_I_ want to." Her eyes returned to his pants. "And I know _you_ do too." She kissed him again, more forcefully, her intensity rendering him unable--and unwilling-- to pull away.

_Is this really happening? _He asked himself as she pulled him towards her bedroom. _What if we're not ready? What if we screw up our partnership or our friendship? Maybe I should tell her to stop--_

_NO! __There will be no stopping. You've wanted this for three years. Just shut up and enjoy it._

_Well…okay._

XXXXXXXXXX

"That was…," Booth gasped an hour later as they lay in each other's arms. "You are…" He trailed off, his dazed mind struggling to find adequate words. "Unbelievable, Bones."

Brennan grinned. "I told you I could handle your balls."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	8. The Couple in the Car

**AN: Many thanks again to my awesome readers/reviewers and my super supportive beta CalleighAryn.**

XXXXXXXXXX

Maybe someday, if the stars aligned properly, or God was in a particularly generous mood, or Booth just happened to be really, really lucky, Bones might do something he asked her to do without argument.

But today was not that day.

"Stay here," he pleaded as he stood across from his partner on the Jeffersonian platform. "Run some more tests. I'll come back here as soon as I finish interviewing Holler and tell you everything that he said."

"I don't have any more tests to run," she argued. "There's nothing else I can do here, so I should go with you."

Booth shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

She rolled her eyes. "I've been around murderers before."

"This guy isn't your average murderer, Bones. He tortured and killed at least five women and--"

"I can handle serial killers," she said proudly. "I broke Howard Epps' wrist, remember?"

Booth's stomach tightened. "I remember that he broke out of jail and tried to kill you."

"But he didn't. I defended myself then, and I can defend myself now."

"I'm not saying you can't." He took her hands in his. "But things are different now. You need to slow down, be more--"

"I won't slow down when we have a case to solve and there are families waiting for answers. I can help you interrogate Holler." She started to walk off the platform.

Booth moved to block her path. "No. You're staying here where it's safe."

"Booth--"

"Please, Bones. I don't want that sick bastard anywhere near you or our baby." His hands moved to her growing stomach. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to either of--hey! I felt a kick! See, Bones? Our son agrees with me."

"He can't possibly understand what we've been saying."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. With your super squinty genes, our kid's bound to be a genius. I wouldn't be surprised if he came out knowing all the bones in the human body and speaking three languages."

She laughed softly. "_If_ he understood our conversation, then he kicked to tell you you're being unreasonable."

"It's _unreasonable_ of me to want to keep my wife and child safe?" He slid his arms around her waist and drew her closer to him.

She leaned her head against his chest. "The instinct to defend your offspring is natural, but lately you've been rather overprotective, Booth."

"What? How have I been 'overprotective'?"

"You drive so cautiously now that we're perpetually late for work and--"

"We were on time this morning," he said defensively.

"Only because I made you get out of bed twenty minutes earlier, which was no small feat."

"Maybe I'd have an easier time getting up if you didn't wear those sexy clothes to bed," he teased in a low voice.

She matched his teasing tone. "Then I'll start wearing more conservative sleepwear."

"You'll still look hot." He kissed the top of her head. "It's almost noon. Did you have lunch yet? I can bring you back something after--"

"That's another thing, Booth," she interrupted, pulling away from him. "You're always offering to bring me food--as if I'm no longer capable of getting it for myself-- and when I do eat you complain that I don't eat enough."

"All that tofu and salad can't be enough to satisfy a growing boy."

"Dr. Walker said that his growth is just fine."

"I know, but maybe every once in a while you could give him something really tasty, like a nice, juicy hamburger or a big piece of pie."

"Alright. I'll have a piece of pie… after _we_ finish interrogating Holler." She grabbed a file containing her case notes and walked off the platform.

Booth sighed as he followed her out of the Jeffersonian and into the parking lot. "Just be careful when we talk to him, okay?"

"I won't do anything you wouldn't do," she said as they climbed into his SUV and began driving to the Hoover building. "Then again, you attacked that man at my book signing last week."

"I wouldn't call it an attack."

She laughed. "I'm sure he would."

"I might have overreacted a little."

She raised her eyebrows. "A _little_? You flung yourself at him full force and knocked him to the ground."

"Well, he was staring at you in a really creepy way and then he reached into his pocket--"

"He was getting a pen so I could sign an autograph."

"I thought he was reaching for a gun and my instincts to protect you took over."

"I'm glad it wasn't a gun." Her voice softened. "You've already taken one bullet for me."

Booth's eyes widened as the realization struck him. "You're annoyed with me for being overprotective because you're afraid. You're afraid I'll get myself injured or killed defending you and the baby."

"That thought has crossed my mind." Truth be told, she'd been having nightmares for weeks about losing him. "I don't know anything about children or parenting. I can't do this without you."

He placed his hand over hers, stroking it gently. "You won't have to. I'm going to be around for a long, long time, Bones. I intend to see Mark grow up and start his own family."

Brennan smiled. Booth was always trying out new names for the baby. "Mark, huh?"

"It's a biblical name. Do you like it?"

"No. A boy who was cruel to me in high school was named Mark."

"Okay, no Mark. What about Matthew, your dad's assumed name?"

Brennan considered it for a few seconds. "I love my father, but I can't name our child after someone who killed people and set them on fire."

"Good point. What about Daniel?"

"No on Daniel. You like biblical names, but Parker isn't a biblical name, is it?"

"No. Rebecca named him. I didn't get any say in the matter. I haven't gotten much say over a lot of things in his life."

Hearing the sadness in his voice, she kissed his cheek. "It will be different this time. You'll be a part of our son's life every step of the way."

He squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Bones."

Seeing the grin on his face was the only thanks she needed. "You're welcome." A few moments of content silence passed before she spoke again. "What about David? That's a biblical name, and the name of my first anthropology professor."

Booth frowned. "David's also the name of that wacko you met online, the one who tried to recruit you into a doomsday cult."

"Good point. No on David." Glancing out the window, she realized that they were getting close to the Hoover Building. She picked up the file that lay on her lap. "I should review my notes. We can talk more about baby names after we indict Holler for murder."

Booth chuckled. "With a crime fighting squint for a mom and a FBI agent for a dad, our little boy's going to have a very interesting life."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! Reviews make excellent birthday presents (yup, today is my birthday)!**


	9. The New Baby in the Hospital

**AN: Thanks again to everyone who gave me birthday presents (i.e. reviews for the last chapter)! Hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much. **

XXXXXXXXXX

For the second time in his life, Seeley Booth was speechless.

The first time had been a little over a year ago, when he had seen his Bones, the woman who had once condemned marriage as an archaic ritual, walking down the aisle in her sleeveless satin wedding dress, smiling broadly behind a veil. He remembered thinking that no one in the history of the universe could have looked more breathtaking.

This time he was standing in the doorway of Bones' hospital room. She was sitting up in bed, her face illuminated by sunlight streaming through the windows as if nature itself wanted to give her a spotlight. She looked exhausted, but to Booth she was as beautiful as on their wedding day. Maybe even more so. She didn't see him in the doorway; all her attention was focused on the baby in her arms. The tiny figure looked back at her as he sucked on her breast.

"You're staring," Brennan teased when she finally noticed his presence. "It's not as if you've never seen my breasts before."

Booth walked to her side and kissed her tenderly. "I've never seen you use them to feed a _baby_. Hey, little guy! It's me, your daddy." He sat in a chair beside Brennan's bed and stroked their son's head, taking pride in the fact that the kid already had great hair. "How does it feel to be a mom, Bones?"

"My body's producing high levels of oxytocin, prolactin and other hormones designed to stimulate the bond between mother and child, so quite wonderful." Her eyes shone with love as she glanced down at their baby, who had stopped nursing and fallen asleep. "Yet I'm also a little nervous. Even with all the parenting research I've done over the past nine months, I still don't feel prepared to be a mother."

He held her hand. "That's completely normal. I felt the same way when Parker was born, but I learned as I went along and you will too. You'll be an amazing mother."

She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Booth."

"Thank _you_ for marrying me and having my baby." He gave her another, equally tender kiss.

"_Your _baby?" She teased. "I contributed just as much genetic material as you did."

He laughed. "You're right. He's _our _baby. God, that sounds good. _Our baby_. I hope he'll have your brains."

"I hope he'll have your heart." She smiled as she touched their son's dark curls. "He already has your hair."

"And your eyes."

"And your affinity for my chest."

Booth's eyes involuntarily drifted to her full breasts before returning to her face. "Who could blame him?"

"I wasn't placing blame. I was only--" A knock on the door interrupted her. Making sure she was covered up, she called out, "Come in."

"Hey Booth, Dr. Brennan," Agent James Ryan said as he entered the room. He held a small, brightly wrapped package under one arm.

"Hey, Jim." Booth stood up to shake his hand. "Bones, you remember my good buddy Jim Ryan?"

"I remember," she answered. "I appreciate you working on our cases while Booth and I are on leave."

"No problem, Dr. Brennan. Booth helped me out when I was on paternity leave, so I'm happy to return the favor. I have to follow a lead on the Martinez case, so I can't stay long, but I had to come offer my congratulations." He grinned as he looked at the sleeping baby in Brennan's arms. "He's a good-looking kid, Booth."

Booth's chest swelled with pride. "He is, isn't he?"

"Thanks to his father's genes," Brennan added.

"And his mother's," Booth said with a smile. "We're both pretty hot, Bones."

Jim chuckled. "So what's his name?"

"We're still working on it," Booth answered.

Jim feigned a look of innocence. "If you're looking for ideas, James is a great name."

"We'll…think about it," Booth said tactfully.

"I suggested James a few months ago," Brennan interjected. "But Booth rejected it."

Booth felt embarrassed, but luckily his friend wasn't offended. "That's okay. What about Jonathan? That's my brother's name."

"Jonathan Booth. John Booth. Little Johnny," Booth said, seeing how each variation felt on his tongue. "I like it."

"I don't," Brennan said. "I wouldn't want people to associate our son's name with John Wilkes Booth."

Booth's eyes widened. "Good point, Bones. We'll keep thinking. Maybe we'll have a name picked out by the time he starts kindergarten."

Jim gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "You'll come up with something eventually. Oh, I almost forgot. Dr. Brennan, Agent Fox wanted me to thank you for giving birth today; it was his day in the baby pool."

"Baby pool?" Brennan repeated, imagining a small plastic tub.

Booth turned to Brennan. "Jim means that they took bets on--" He whirled around to face his friend. "You guys actually placed bets on when our baby would be born?"

Jim shrugged. "We had bets going for years on when you two would drop the whole 'just partners' charade, so it seemed like the logical next step."

"Of course. How much did he win?" Booth asked.

"A couple hundred," Jim answered. "He says he's going to use it to get birthday presents for his daughter. Speaking of presents…" Jim gave Booth the package.

When Booth unwrapped it, he discovered a black onesie with the words "Future FBI Agent" in yellow letters. "It's awesome, Jimmy. Thanks." He held it up so Bones could see.

Brennan smiled when she read it. "I don't want him to feel obligated to follow a particular career path, but it's very cute. Thank you."

"You're both welcome. My wife Lynn saw it in a store last week and practically squealed with glee. She said we had to get it for you two."

"Please give her our thanks," Booth said.

"I will. Good luck picking--" His last words were drowned out by enthusiastic pounding on the door. "Sounds like you've got more visitors, and I should be going anyway. Congratulations again, Dr. Brennan, Booth."

"Thanks for stopping by," Booth said.

"My pleasure. See you guys soon." As soon as Jim left, Angela darted in. Hodgins came in behind her, carrying a large bag.

"Sweetie!" Angela shouted as she sprinted to Brennan's side to give her a hug. "Congratulations! Oh my God, Bren, he's gorgeous! I always knew you and Booth would make beautiful babies." She motioned to the bag Hodgins was carrying. "We brought some more gifts for him."

"You didn't have to do that, Ange. You've already given us so much."

"Yeah, we may need to get a bigger house just to fit all of his presents," Booth joked.

"I may have gone _slightly_ overboard, but--"

Brennan's eyebrows jumped. "Slightly?"

"Okay, _way_ overboard, but you're my best friend and I'm so happy for you and Booth."

"We both are," Hodgins added. He took a small stuffed animal out of the bag. "I got him an _Arachnocampa richardsae_."

"That's squint talk for 'glow worm'?" Booth asked as he looked at it.

"Exactly. Look." Hodgins squeezed it and its face lit up. "Cool, huh?"

Brennan smiled at her friends. "Thank you both for everything."

"You're welcome, hon," Angela said. "I still can't believe you guys have a _baby_….a beautiful baby boy. Maybe he and Cassandra will fall in love and get married someday."

Brennan laughed. "Ange, our son was just born, and your daughter is only five months old. It's much too soon to start thinking about marriage."

"Well, it took me forever to get you guys together, so I figured I should start early with the next generation." When she saw a look of concern cross Brennan's face, she smiled to show she was joking. "Does my future son-in-law have a name yet?"

"We're working on it," Booth and Brennan said in unison.

Angela rolled her eyes. "You guys have been saying that for _months_." She reached into the bag and took out two baby name books. "Happy hunting!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, after the last of their visitors had left, Booth and Brennan pored over the baby name books as diligently as they examined case files. As their son slept in a bassinet beside Brennan's bed, each took turns calling out possible names while the other rejected them outright or put them on the "maybe" list. Three hours into their search, they had a breakthrough.

"I didn't know Alexander meant 'defender of mankind' in Greek," Booth said. "I like that. Alexander Booth, defender of mankind."

Brennan nodded thoughtfully. "I like it too. But I also like Liam. It's the Irish form of William, and it means 'strong-willed warrior.'"

Booth chuckled. "With our genes, he'll definitely be strong-willed. How about Alexander Liam Booth?"

"I think Liam Alexander would work better."

"Liam Alexander." Booth repeated it in his mind several times. "I think we have a winner, Bones." He knelt beside their sleeping son and kissed his forehead. "Welcome to the world, Liam Alexander Booth. Your mom and I have loved you since the moment we found out you were growing inside her, and we're so glad that you're finally here." He watched Liam in silent admiration for a few minutes…and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Brennan asked.

"Liam's initials."

"L.A.B?" Brennan didn't see what was funny about that.

"Lab, as in the Jeffersonian Lab…the place where he was conceived."

"Oh." Brennan's body warmed as she remembered that night. She and Booth had been doing paperwork in her office long after the Jeffersonian emptied, the picture perfect professional couple…at least until they started throwing their files to the floor so that they could make love on her couch. "He doesn't need to know that."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


	10. The Reunion in the High School

**AN: Thanks to ****Baka Nii-San for suggesting the setting for this chapter, everyone who's been reviewing, and my always thoughtful beta CalleighAryn. Love you all lots! **

**AN2: References to season three's "The Boy in the Time Capsule" and "The Santa in the Slush".**

XXXXXXXXXX

"I can't believe I allowed you to talk me into this," Brennan mumbled as she sat in the passenger seat of Booth's SUV.

Booth gave his wife an encouraging smile. "I know the idea doesn't appeal to you as much as an evening with decaying corpses, but I think you'll have a good time."

"Just because _you_ had a good time at your high school reunion doesn't mean I'll have a good time at mine. Our high school experiences were very different. For you, high school was a time to display your athletic prowess and practice sexual techniques with multiple partners but--"

"Hey!" Booth protested. "You make it sound like I was sleeping around."

"By your own admission, you did have several girlfriends during your high school years."

"Yeah, but not at the same time. I wasn't one of _those_ guys."

"I know. You're a good man, Booth." She kissed his cheek. "My point is that high school was a pleasant period of your life, so you enjoyed seeing your old friends again and reminiscing about shared experiences. But I had very few friends in high school; I spent most of my time studying. My classmates ridiculed me because they were jealous of my academic superiority, and after my parents left some even suggested --" She broke off, not wanting to say the words out loud even though she knew now that they weren't true.

"Suggested what?" He prodded gently.

She lowered her eyes. "That my parents and Russ left me because I was a freak."

Booth inhaled sharply as his protective instincts surged inside him. "Those little bastards. I'm sorry I didn't know you then, Bones. I would have kicked their asses."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I doubt that would have helped the situation."

"I'm sorry that you had a rough time in high school, but look at you now. Professionally, you're the best forensic anthropologist in the country _and_ a best selling author. On the personal side, you have a husband who loves you very much…a man with a good heart and a great body, who provides you with more emotional and physical stimulation than any other lover you've ever had."

Brennan chuckled as she recognized her own words coming out of his mouth. "You're quoting my description of Andy Lister from my last book."

"You got me down perfectly, Bones. And if all that doesn't impress your old classmates, just show them pictures of our little squint."

She imagined their two year old son Liam running around her friends' palatial estate. "I hope he isn't giving Angela and Hodgins too much trouble."

"I'm sure they're having lots of fun with him, just as you'll have fun seeing your old classmates again. You'll be able to show everyone who teased you back then how successful you are. It's the perfect revenge."

"I've barely thought about them in the past twenty years and likely won't think much about them in the next twenty. I don't need revenge."

Booth eyed her low-cut black dress with obvious appreciation. "You're going to get it anyway. Every guy who looks at you tonight is going to kick himself for not sweeping you off your feet before I did."

She smiled. "If that expression means what I think it means, I believe I swept _you_ off _your_ feet."

He returned her smile easily. "I think we swept each other, Bones."

XXXXXXXXXX

Brennan thought that Booth was exaggerating in his praise of her appearance, but she did notice several men giving her admiring glances when she and Booth walked into her former high school's gymnasium. She didn't recognize any of them. She scanned the room for a familiar face, but saw none. Had she really attended high school with all of these people?

"I don't know anyone here." She fidgeted with the nametag she had picked up at a table by the front door. "Let's go home."

Booth put one arm around her shoulders. "We just got here. It might take you more than thirty seconds to see someone you know. Just try to relax." He gave her a quick kiss. "It looks like there's a bar on the other side of the gym. Can I get you something to drink?"

"I don't think alcohol will help me relax."

"What about some good old-fashioned water on the rocks?"

"That sounds good, thank you."

"Glad to help, Bones. Be back in a minute."

When Booth reached the bar area, there was a slender man in a business suit in line ahead of him. His nametag identified him as Andy Fluger. Booth thought the name sounded familiar, and it only took him a few moments to realize why. "You were the varsity lacrosse captain."

Andy turned to face Booth. "I was the captain of my college team too. I led Notre Dame to victory in the NCAA Championships four years in a row. Now I run my own investment firm, Fluger Financial." He glanced at Booth's nametag as he handed him a business card. "You weren't in our class, were you?"

"My wife was. I'm married to the brilliant and beautiful Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Andy's face was blank. "Oh."

Booth could see that he didn't remember her. "You were her secret Santa. You taped a Brainy Smurf to her locker."

"Oh yeah!" Andy's eyes lit up. "I remember now. People were laughing about that for days!"

Booth's face darkened as he resisted the urge to punch him. "She didn't think it was funny."

Andy laughed. "It was a harmless prank. Lighten up, pal."

"I'm not your _pal_," Booth snapped as he took out his badge, "and you just pissed off an FBI agent."

"Am I supposed to be shaking in my boots? What are you going to do--arrest me?"

"No, I won't arrest you." When Andy started to walk off with a triumphant grin, Booth added: " But if you apologize to her, I won't tell the IRS to audit your firm."

XXXXXXXXXX

While she waited for Booth to return, Brennan continued to scan the crowd for a familiar face. Eventually she found one. "Amanda!" Brennan called out, approaching the well-dressed brunette. "Hi, I'm Temperance Brennan. We had eleventh grade chemistry together."

Amanda was silent for several seconds as she tried to remember Brennan. "Oh! You're Russ Brennan's little sister. It was so awful when your parents disappeared. Did you ever find out what happened to them?"

"Yes, I did. They didn't leave because I drove them away, as you and others suggested. They left to save our lives because they were former bank robbers on the run from a violent gang. Several years ago I identified my mother's remains, but my father survived and I was ultimately able to reconnect with him after he was released from prison."

Amanda laughed. "That's a great story, Temperance. Are you a writer?"

"I do write novels as a hobby, but that wasn't a fictional story."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

Amanda's eyes widened. "Oh. Wow. Sorry about that. So…uh…how is Russ doing?"

"He's doing very well. He's married with two stepdaughters and has been successfully fulfilling the conditions of his parole."

"Parole? So he was in jail too?"

"Only for a short time."

"Well, it's… it's good he wasn't there long. So…what do you do, Temperance?"

"I'm a forensic anthropologist. I study human remains that are hundreds or even thousands of years old. I also examine more recent bones to help the FBI uncover the identities of murder victims and find their killers."

Amanda tried to hide an expression of disgust. "So you work with skeletons?"

"With bones, yes. I don't always have the full skeletal system. Just last week, for instance, my partner and I investigated remains that had been dumped in a junkyard. They'd been eaten by wild dogs and rats and--"

"Interesting," Amanda interrupted, looking slightly queasy. "Very interesting. It sounds like you've--whoa!" Amanda looked past Brennan at a man walking towards them. "That guy is _gorgeous_! Was he in our class?"

Brennan turned around, grinning when he saw the object of Amanda's adoration. "No, he wasn't."

Booth came up to Brennan and handed her a glass of water. "Here you go, Bones."

"Thank you." She took a sip of water. "Booth, this is Amanda Thompson. Amanda, this is Seeley Booth, my husband."

Booth extended his hand to her. "Nice to meet you, Amanda."

Amanda blushed furiously as she shook Booth's hand. "You too, Seeley. If you'll excuse me, I need to get a drink." She walked away from the couple towards the bar area.

"What was that about?" Booth asked.

"I think she's embarrassed because she called you gorgeous."

Booth laughed. "She did, huh? I think the only gorgeous person here is--"

"Temperance Brennan!" Andy Fluger shouted as he walked up to her. "It's Andy Fluger. Wow! You look…stunning."

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself. Andy, this is my husband, Seeley Booth."

Andy barely looked at Booth before returning his attention to Brennan. "Yes, we met at the bar. Temperance, I wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry for the secret Santa thing back in high school. It was stupid and immature, and I hope you can forgive me for any humiliation I may have caused you."

"You were only a teenager, and it's common for teenagers to commit immature acts because their brains are still developing higher reasoning skills. I can forgive you."

"Great. That's great, thank you." He hadn't really heard much of what she had said, but he continued staring at her.

Booth snapped his fingers when he noticed Andy's eyes on her chest. "Hey, Andy. Eyes up."

Andy slowly raised his eyes to her face. "Sorry. So, Temperance, if you ever need any financial advice, _I_ run my own investment firm, Fluger Financial. I'd be happy to offer my serv--"

"Thank you, Andy," Brennan interrupted. "But your services aren't needed." As Booth suppressed a smirk at Andy's disappointed expression, the band at the far end of the gymnasium started to play a slow number. Brennan took another drink of water and set her glass down. "Want to dance, Booth?"

"I'd love to, Bones." Leaving a dazed Andy behind, they headed for the dance floor.

XXXXXXXXXX

"It was nice to hear Andy apologize for the secret Santa humiliation," Brennan said later as she and Booth held each other on the dance floor.

Booth smiled to himself. "Yeah, very nice. Have you noticed that he's not the only one who can't keep his eyes off of you? I was right; every guy here has been checking you out. I guess I can't blame them--you are the most beautiful woman in the room."

She blushed. "I've observed many women checking _you_ out while we've been dancing. I can't blame them either."

Drawing her closer, he whispered, "Since everybody's watching us…how about we give them something worth watching?"

Heads turned and jaws dropped as the hottest couple on the dance floor shared a ten- steamboat kiss.

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **

**P.S. While writing this chapter, I noticed how similar "Andy Lister" is to "Andy Fluger"--maybe Brennan named the character in her books after her high school crush? Or maybe, considering the baby in the bough was also named Andy, the writers just like the name. **


	11. The Problem in the Park

**AN: Many thanks again to all the wonderful people who have taken the time to give feedback, and to my stellar beta CalleighAryn.**

XXXXXXXXXX

"How did the baby get in mommy's belly?" Four year old Liam Alexander Booth loudly asked his parents one sunny Sunday morning as the three of them walked by the swings in the park's playground.

Booth's mouth dropped open. He and Bones had told Liam a couple weeks ago that he would be getting a new sister, whom they had already named Emily Elizabeth. Booth thought Liam might have questions following their big announcement, but he had happily returned to his toy trucks only seconds later. Why did he have to ask this question _now_, when they were in a public place surrounded by a dozen other parents with small children? Why couldn't he have asked it at home? _Because he's a kid…and he has his mother's tact, _he thought with a smile. "What did you say, buddy?" He asked in an attempt to stall.

"He asked how the baby got in my belly," Brennan said to Booth before turning to their son. "She's not really in my stomach, Liam. The part of my body she's growing in is called the 'uterus'."

"But how did she get there?" Liam asked again.

"She was already in my body. A woman's body makes ova--eggs--and if one of those eggs gets fertilized by a man's sp--"

"Hey, Liam!" Booth cried out, finally shaking off his shock induced stupor. "Why don't you go play on the swings for a minute?"

"I don't want to."

"How about the slide?"

Liam shook his head with all the force his four year old body could muster. "No."

"The playhouse?"

"No."

"But you love hiding in the playhouse!" Booth said, an edge of desperation creeping into his voice.

"No!"

"Liam, you don't need to get upset," Brennan interjected calmly. "You don't have to play anywhere you don't want to."

"Your mother's right," Booth said. He forced himself to take a deep breath. "Do you want to play on the jungle gym?"

"No!"

"How about the sandbox? You could build the biggest sandcastle _ever_."

Liam finally smiled. "Okay."

Breathing a sigh of relief when Liam ran to the sandbox, Booth led Bones to a nearby park bench and sat down beside her.

She turned to face him. "I know questions about sex make you uncomfortable, but you didn't need to interrupt my explanation."

"You were going to talk to Liam about the birds and bees…in a public park full of kids!"

Brennan was confused. "I wasn't going to talk to him about birds or bees. I was going to tell him about _human_ reproduction."

"That's what the "birds and bees talk" is," Booth explained.

"Oh. So you think we should wait until we get home?"

"I think we should wait until he's older."

"But he's curious _now_," Brennan argued. "We need to answer his question."

"We need to give him _an_ answer, but it doesn't have to be _the_ answer. We can tell something that's appropriate for a kid his age…something that doesn't involve bodily fluids."

"You want to deceive him? I'm okay with letting him believe in the existence of a bearded benevolent gift-giver…but I'm not going to say that there's some sort of baby fairy who goes around placing fetuses in women's bodies. I won't lie about a fundamental biological process."

Booth smiled as he imagined a tiny fairy in a pink tutu touching Bones' stomach with a magic wand. "You don't have to lie…just don't tell the whole truth."

"That's a lie of omission."

"We tell those lies every day. When we tell Liam that Mommy and Daddy have to go to work, we don't say that we're going to look at a dead body dumped in a field or interrogate a guy we think is a crazy axe murderer. It's okay to keep things from kids to protect them from truths they aren't ready to hear."

"Like my parents did when they didn't tell me their criminal past was the reason why they abandoned me and Russ? The truth could have spared me countless hours of anguish." Her eyes grew wet. "When I was pregnant with Liam, I promised myself that I would never lie to him the way my parents lied to me."

Booth wrapped his arms around her. "We're not them, Bones. Liam and Emily will _never_ have to go through what you went through."

She smiled against his chest. "You're an excellent father."

"And you're an excellent mother."

"Am I?"

"Of course you are. You read to Liam every night before he goes to bed. You teach him about science and nature. You take him to museums, the zoo, the park, the movies. You hug him when he's scared and comfort him when he's feeling sad or sick. You give him lots of love and attention…and that's all kids really need."

"That's not _all_," she teased. "They also require food, water, shelter, clothing-"

"You know what I mean. He's a great kid, and he didn't get that way by accident."

"Thank you, Booth."

He kissed the top of her head. "Anytime, Bones."

"So how do you suggest we answer his question?"

"We can tell him that when a man and a woman love each other very much--"

"That's certainly not true in every case of pregnancy."

"Bear with me, Bones. We can say that when a man and a woman love each other very much, God sends them a baby."

"Is that what you told Parker?"

"Yeah."

"And he accepted that explanation?"

"He did."

"But it's a very vague and wholly unscientific answer."

"But it works for a kid Liam's age. We'll give him the scientific explanation when he's old enough to really understand it."

Brennan silently considered Booth's proposal for a few moments. She wasn't sure that she wanted Liam placing faith in a God that most likely didn't exist, but she knew how important Booth's religion was to him and had learned not to ridicule his beliefs. "Alright. We'll try it your--"

"Mom, Dad!" Liam called out from the sandbox. "Come look at my sandcastle! It's really, really, really big!"

Laughing at their son's enthusiasm, Booth and Brennan got up from the bench and walked hand in hand towards their little squint and his big creation.

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


	12. The Conference in the Classroom

"I don't see why we have to go to a parent/teacher conference," Booth grumbled as he and Brennan drove to their eight year old son's school for a seven P.M. appointment. They had just spent three hours interrogating an obnoxious suspect and hadn't received a scrap of useful information, so all he wanted was to go home and relax with his family before they had to do it all again tomorrow. "Liam gets perfect grades, and he's never given anyone any trouble."

"His teacher said that she wanted to meet with the parents of every child in his class," Brennan reminded him. "Considering that she spends several hours a day with our son, I think it's a good idea that we meet her as well."

Booth sighed. His lovely Bones was right as usual. "Yeah, it is a good idea. You know, I think the only time my parents met with one of my teachers was when I punched Curt Donovan in the seventh grade."

"Why did you do that?" Brennan asked.

Booth suddenly wished he hadn't brought it up. "Because I was an idiot." He hoped she might be content to leave it at that, but he knew she wouldn't.

"You must have had a good reason for hitting him. Did he insult you…or your family…or your religious beliefs? Were you protecting someone else?"

"I wish it had been for some noble cause, but the truth is that he stole something from my locker and wouldn't give it back."

"He must have taken something very valuable," Brennan reasoned.

"It was valuable to me."

She waited a few moments for him to continue, but he didn't offer any additional information. "So what was it?"

He braced himself for her reaction. "It was…a poster."

She laughed. "You punched someone over a _poster_?!"

"It wasn't just any poster, Bones! It was Farrah Fawcett in a red swimsuit." Anticipating her next question, he added, "She was an actress on the tv show _Charlie's Angels_."

"A religious show?" Brennan wondered aloud.

Booth laughed. "No, not at all. Her boss called her an angel, but she was really a super hot detective who kicked ass. I had the biggest crush on her as a kid."

"You had sexual fantasies about her?"

Booth reddened. "A few times." _A few times a day, _his mind corrected.

Realization finally dawned on Brennan. "So you hit your classmate because he stole your masturbatory material."

He groaned. "Bones, you know what you do to me when you say stuff like that."

"Stuff like what?" She asked with feigned innocence as she moved her hand up and down his leg. "Sexual fantasies…masturbatory material…fulfilling biological urges…breaking the laws of physics?"

He groaned louder. "Damn, Bones, if we didn't have to be at Liam's school in twenty minutes, I'd…" He trailed off.

Brennan licked her lips. "You'd what?"

"I'd pull the car over and have my way with you."

She flashed him a devilish grin. "We can be quick."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Mrs. Riley, we're so sorry that we're late," Booth said as he and Bones rushed into Liam's classroom at 7:13. "We…uh…kind of lost track of time."

"It happens to all of us," the middle aged woman sitting behind the teacher desk said amicably. She stood up to greet them. "And you can call me Suzanne."

"Seeley Booth." He shook her hand before he sat down in a chair across from her desk. "This is my wife--"

"Dr. Temperance Brennan," Brennan interrupted, shaking Suzanne's hand before sitting next to Booth.

"Thank you both for coming," Suzanne said with a smile. "Let me start off by saying that Liam is such a pleasure to have a class. He has a very inquisitive mind and he's always asking interesting, thought provoking questions."

Booth smiled. "He's just like his mom."

"He's also quite charming and well liked by his peers."

"Just like his father," Brennan added with a smile of her own.

"His grades so far have been wonderful, so I don't have any concerns about his academic success--"

"But you do have other concerns?" Booth interrupted.

Suzanne nodded. "Only a few. Has there been a death in the family recently?"

"No," Booth and Brennan said in unison.

"Does he watch crime shows or violent movies? Play violent video games?"

"He's only allowed to watch educational programming, and he doesn't own any video games," Brennan answered. "Why are you asking these questions?"

"Liam seems preoccupied with death lately. When Harry, the fifth graders' class hamster, passed away last week, Liam asked me if he could examine him to try to determine his cause of death. I didn't think that was a good idea, so I said no. Then he asked me if someone else would do it."

"Did anyone examine Harry?" Brennan asked.

"Well…no," Suzanne answered, wondering if Dr. Brennan was in earnest. "He was a very old hamster, so no one saw the need to do an autopsy."

"A _necropsy_," Brennan corrected.

"What?"

"An autopsy on an animal is called a necropsy."

"Oh. Liam also volunteered to talk to the fifth graders to see if any of them had information about his death." Suzanne took a paper out of a file folder on her desk and placed it before the couple. "And yesterday he drew this picture." In the drawing, Booth and Brennan saw a woman with long brown hair and a man with short spiky hair standing over a figure on the ground. "He said that it's a picture of you two and a dead body."

Brennan picked up the drawing and grinned. "This is adorable."

"Adorable?" Suzanne repeated, a look of shock on her face.

Brennan nodded. "This is a picture of us working."

Seeing Suzanne's shocked expression change into a horrified one, Booth jumped in to explain. "Bones--Dr. Brennan is a forensic anthropologist for the Jeffersonian, and I'm a FBI agent. We work together to investigate murders."

"Oh!" Relief that Liam's parents weren't professional killers washed over her face. "So have you been talking to Liam lately about what you two do for a living?"

"Minus the graphic details," Brennan answered. "As you noted, he does have a very inquisitive mind and he was curious about what we did while he was in school. May we keep this picture?"

Suzanne smiled. "Of course. There is another matter I'd like to discuss with you. I've noticed that Liam has a rather strong attachment to one of his female classmates--"

"Cassandra Hodgins," Booth said knowingly.

"Yes," Suzanne admitted.

"Liam and Cassie have known each other since they were born," Brennan explained. "Jack and Angela--Cassie's parents--are good friends of ours. They're watching Liam and our daughter Emily right now."

"I see. Well, Liam likes to hug her… a lot. I've told him that our school has a no hugging policy, but he says that it's okay because they're only guy hugs."

Brennan laughed. "He really is your son, Booth."

Booth laughed too, but stopped the second he saw Suzanne's disapproving expression. "I'll…uh…talk to him about it," he promised. "Is there anything else?"

"No, I think that's--wait, there was one more thing. A couple days ago, I overheard Liam asking Cassie if she wanted to 'break the laws of physics' with him. When I asked him what he meant, he said that he didn't know, but that he had heard his parents saying it to each other. Do you know what he's talking about?"

Booth blushed from head to toe. "Yes."

Brennan turned to him. "We may need better soundproofing in our bedroom."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **

**P.S. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly (titled "17 Pop Culture Questions for David Boreanaz" and available on their website), David says that he owned a Farrah Fawcett swimsuit poster as a kid.**


	13. The Discovery in the Dining Room

"I've got a surprise for you, Bones," Booth said when Brennan returned home after a long day of piecing together skeletal fragments, documenting her findings, and writing a love scene for Kathy and Andy that made even Angela blush. "Close your eyes."

She did as he asked. "Why am I closing my eyes?"

"Because it'll make your surprise more suspenseful." Taking his wife's hands in his, Booth walked backward as he led her through their house so he could make sure she didn't trip on anything.

"So what's my surprise?" She asked, smiling with anticipation.

He laughed softly. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Will you give me a hint?"

"Nope, no hints. Just wait ten more seconds."

"Ten…nine…eight…seven…"

"I love how you always take everything so literally, Bones." Stopping when he reached their destination, he moved to stand behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "Okay, you can look now."

When Brennan opened her eyes, she discovered a bouquet of red roses, two lit candles and pots filled with some of her favorite foods covering their dining room table. Delighted but confused, she turned in his arms and kissed him. "What is all this for? My birthday was three months ago, and our anniversary isn't until next month. Did you do something that you're trying to atone for? Angela says that Hodgins always gives her flowers after he does something wrong, and then they have marvelous make up s--"

"Whoa, Bones, you can stop right there," Booth interrupted. "I'm not trying to atone for anything. This is the first night we've had the house to ourselves in _months_, and we have a lot to celebrate: Emily earning her yellow belt in karate class, Liam getting a perfect score on the SATs, your latest book being number one on the New York Times bestseller list, me getting a new leather chair for my office--"

"With a plaque acknowledging your distinguished service to the FBI," Brennan added proudly. "It was long overdue."

Booth grinned. "Thanks, Bones. You know I couldn't have done it without you."

"I know." She kissed him again.

After a few more kisses, they sat down to eat. Booth watched Brennan intently as she took her first bite of macaroni and cheese. "What do you think? I know it's not as good as yours, but--"

"It's excellent. Thank you, Booth. This was a wonderful surprise."

His smile couldn't have been bigger if he'd tried. "I'm glad you like it."

When they finished eating, he gathered the plates, glasses, silverware and the empty food bowls, brought them into the kitchen, and then returned to her side with a plate of brownies. "Are you ready for dessert? I made you those vegan brownies you like so much."

Brennan stared at him for few moments, wondering how she deserved to have this wonderful man in her life. "That was very thoughtful of you, but I don't want dessert right now."

Booth put the plate down. "Oh. Okay, that's--"

"I want you." She stood up and launched herself into his arms.

Caught off guard, Booth stumbled backwards onto the dining room table. "Sorry," he gasped as Brennan landed on top of him.

Brennan smiled as she brought her mouth down to his. "Don't be."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry that those guys were so rude to you," sixteen year old Liam Booth told his girlfriend Cassandra Hodgins as they drove home from a classmate's party. "No one should talk to a woman like that."

She shrugged it off. "Not every guy is a gentleman like you. You must have learned from your dad."

Liam smiled. "You think I'm like my dad?"

"Definitely. You both have the chivalry thing going for you, you look a lot alike and you have the same smile."

"My mom calls it the 'Booth family charm smile'," he said, giving her an exaggerated example. "But I'm not always like him. He probably would have punched those guys if they had said stuff like that to Mom…or she would have."

Cassie laughed. "I'll never forget the time your mom hit that guy who wouldn't stop talking during our school play. That was _so_ awesome. But I don't expect you to beat up every guy who makes a drunken pass at me. You're better than that."

"Thanks, Cass," he said, grinning at her as they arrived at his parents' house and got out of the car. "So…do you want to watch a movie?"

"Sure. What movie?"

"Anything you want. I picked last time, so it's your turn."

"Hmmm…I think I'm in the mood for a nice, fluffy romance. Any suggestions?"

Liam thought about it for a moment. "We have the movies based on my mom's books. Those have romance in them."

"Yeah… but knowing that Kathy and Andy are based on your mom and dad make them a little hard to watch."

"Because of the sex scenes?" He asked as they walked up the steps to the front door.

"Uh huh. I mean, I know your parents have had sex, because you and your sister wouldn't exist otherwise, but it's so weird to think about them that way."

Liam opened the front door and Cassie followed him inside. "I understand. I'm sure we can find something el--"

"WHOA!" Cassie shouted.

Just as Liam was about to ask what was wrong, he saw the answer in front of him. He couldn't believe his eyes. He had seen his parents kissing before--many, many times in fact--but he had never seen them making out on top of the dining room table. "Wouldn't your bed be more comfortable?"

Booth's face was tomato red as he and Brennan got up from the table. "We…uh…we were just--"

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Dad," Liam interjected in the objective tone he'd learned from his mother. "You guys are married adults in the privacy of your own home…well, it was private until we got here. You had every right to fulfill your biological--"

"Hey, no squint talk in the house," Booth interrupted. Sensing Bones giving him a look, he added: "Unless it's from your mother."

"We weren't expecting you home so soon," Brennan told their son. "Did something happen at your friend's party?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. These guys started drinking and acting like jerks to Cassie."

"Are you alright?" Booth asked her.

"I'm fine," she answered. "I'm so sorry I shouted. I was just really surprised to see you guys there. It's not like I've never walked in on my parents kissing or…doing other stuff. This one time I even saw them-- "

"Apology accepted," Booth interrupted before Cassie could give him nightmares.

"I'm sorry, too," Liam said. "I should have called first to let you know we were coming home early."

"It's okay, son," Booth said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You were right to leave the party."

"And we'd be right to leave here." Liam turned to Cassie. "Would you mind if we went back to your house?"

"It's fine with me. We'll watch our movie on the biggest television screen known to man…at least according to my dad."

"Perfect." Liam turned back to his parents. "I'll see you later…much later."

"Alright," Brennan said. "Enjoy your movie."

"We will." The young couple headed for the door. "Love you!" Liam called out as they left.

"We love you, too!" Booth and Brennan called back.

"Well…that was awkward," Booth said when he heard them drive away.

"It could have been worse," Brennan argued. "At least we still had our clothes on."

Booth's blush deepened. "Good point, Bones. And Liam took it really well. He's a great kid."

"He is," Brennan agreed wholeheartedly. "So… shall we finish what we started?" When she threw herself into Booth's arms once again, he was ready to catch her.

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


	14. The Proposal in the Story

**AN: Thanks as always to everyone who reads and reviews; feedback is my anti-drug. :)**

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, Em!" Twenty one year old Liam Booth said when his seventeen year old sister answered the phone.

"Liam!" Emily cried. "I haven't heard from you in weeks! Too busy drinking and partying to give your sister a call, huh?"

"No, I've been studying for my finals!"

She laughed. "It was a _joke_, Liam. How are you?"

"Very good, thanks. I've been enjoying my classes, and I'm fairly certain that I'm getting As in all of them."

"Only fairly certain?" Emily teased. "You must be slipping."

"No, I was only being modest. I'm _absolutely_ certain."

"That sounds more like my genius big brother. How's Cassie doing?"

He smiled at the mention of his girlfriend. "She's wonderful. She defended her thesis yesterday and it went beautifully, so she's most likely going to graduate magna cum laude."

"I assume that's Latin for 'you did a really kick ass job'."

He chuckled. "You've got the right idea. It means 'with great honor.' How are your classes going?"

"They're fine. My basketball team is going to the state championship two weeks from Saturday! I know you're busy with school, but I'd love it if you could come watch me play. Pretty pretty please?"

Liam pretended to think it over, but he knew he couldn't say no. "Well…okay. I'll be there."

"Awesome! You'll get to meet Matt."

"Matt's your boyfriend?"

"Yup. We went to the prom together last week. We had the _best_ time…once we got out of the house anyway."

"I'm guessing Dad gave him the 'You hurt my daughter and I'll kill you' speech."

"Of course! He gives it to every guy who takes me out. Then Mom spent ten minutes comparing the prom to rites of passage in other cultures. And when she was done with her anthropology lesson, she asked Matt if he brought protection. It was _horrifying_."

"More horrifying than the time both Dad and Grandpa Max interrogated your date? They had Mr. Tough Football Star shaking in his seat. That was the funniest thing I've ever seen."

"Funny for _you_, maybe. Poor Nate couldn't even look me in the eye for weeks."

"He wasn't good enough for you anyway."

"Parker said the same--oh my God! Did Parker tell you the news?"

"Yes, he called me a couple days ago," he said with a smile. "I've never heard him sound so excited. I bet Mom and Dad are thrilled that they're going to be grandparents."

"They're totally psyched! I am too. I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt! I'll be the best aunt _ever_."

"No doubt, Em. Are Mom and Dad around?"

"Mom's out shopping with Angela for Dad's birthday, but Dad's in the garage. I can bring him the phone if you want."

"I'd appreciate that. I'll talk to you again soon, alright?"

"You'd better," Emily warned as she walked towards the garage. "Love you."

"Love you too."

When Emily reached the garage, she found her father tinkering with the engine of his '66 cherry red Mustang convertible. She held out the phone to him. "Dad, Liam's on the phone!"

Seeley Booth wiped his hands on a towel and took the phone from her. "Thanks, hon."

"You're welcome," she answered before walking back to the house.

Booth grinned into the phone. "Hi, son. How are you?"

"I'm good, Dad. Really good. How are you and Mom?"

"We're doing great, so great the FBI asked us to teach a workshop on building a successful partnership."

"Congratulations! And to think that they wanted to split you two up back when you arrested Grandpa for murder."

"That was a _long_ time ago. By now everyone in the FBI knows that you don't mess with Booth and Bones, the best crime fighting team in the Bureau. Hey, did you hear that Parker and Terra are going to be parents? And that Emily's team is going to the state championship?"

Liam laughed at his father's enthusiasm. "Yes and yes." He paused for a few moments. "Dad, if you…uh…have a few minutes to spare, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"Ask away."

"How did you ask Mom to marry you?"

Booth smiled at the memory. "I spent a couple months thinking about it because I wanted everything to be perfect. We were going to have dinner at this really nice restaurant, then we'd sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial under the light of the full moon--"

"Why the Lincoln Memorial?" Liam interrupted.

"We went there a few times after wrapping up a case. It was where we had our first kiss…our first _real _kiss anyway," he added, remembering their blackmailed mistletoe moment. "But on the way to the restaurant, we got a call about some bones found in a national park, so we had to go check it out."

"Couldn't you have looked at the bones later?"

"You know your Mom doesn't like it when other people touch the bones before she does. So we went to the scene, and she started telling me about the injuries to this bone and that, and the next thing I know she's picked up a little box on the ground. She opened it and said: 'This looks like an engagement ring.'"

"Wait a minute. There was a ring just lying there next to the bones?"

"Yeah, it was the ring I had gotten her. It had fallen out of my pocket when I bent over the remains."

Liam gasped. "No way!"

"Yes way. I grabbed it from her just as she was about to put it in an evidence bag. She wanted to take it back, but I told her that it didn't have anything to do with the victim or the murderer. She asked how I could possibly know that, so I had to say 'Because I bought it for you.'"

"Was she surprised? Panicked?"

"A little of both, I think. She asked then and there why we should get married, but I said that I didn't want to have that conversation at a crime scene. So after Bones finished doing her thing, we walked around the park until we came to a wooden bench. We sat down on the bench and I held her hand. I said that I wanted to marry her because I had never loved any woman as deeply as I loved her, and I wanted to commit myself to her for the rest of my life. Then she gave me a speech about marriage being an archaic ritual of ownership."

Liam laughed. "That definitely sounds like Mom. How did you get her to change her mind?"

"I said that it didn't have to be that way with us. I promised her that we would be equal partners just as we'd always been, and if I ever tried to act like I owned her she could kick my ass. Then I threw in the Seeley Booth charm smile, so she had to say yes. So in the end, I didn't need to do anything fancy; I just had to speak from my heart. You know what I mean?"

"I do. The reason I asked is because I want to…well, I'm going to…sometime soon…before we graduate…when the timing is right…I want to…"

"Propose to Cassie?"

Liam let out a breath he didn't know he was holding "Yes. I love her so much, Dad, and I really do want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"I know, and I'm positive she feels the same way."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thanks, Dad. Love you."

"I love you too, son."

As soon as Liam hung up, Booth dialed Brennan's cell phone. "Bones, Liam just called. He's--"

"Is he alright?" Brennan interrupted, mistaking the excitement in Booth's voice for alarm.

"Yeah, he sounded great."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. How are his classes going? Are they challenging him enough?"

"I don't know; we didn't talk about school."

"What did you talk about?"

"He wanted to know how I asked you to marry me, so I told him."

"You told him that you shouted 'Oh God, Bones, marry me!' while we were having sex?" Overhearing her, Angela laughed.

Booth blushed as he heard Angela's laughter over the phone. "No, I didn't tell him about that. I told him about my _actual_ proposal."

"After we examined the remains in the park."

"Yeah. I did have a more romantic evening planned, you know," he said with a pang of regret.

"I know. But even though the circumstances weren't what you had planned, you still achieved the desired outcome; I agreed to marry you."

A broad smile spread over his face. "I'm really glad you did, Bones."

"I am too," she replied, her smile matching his. "So why did Liam want to know about your proposal?"

"Because he's going to propose to Cassie!"

Brennan gasped. "But he's so young! In agrarian societies, young couplings made sense. The partnership was for survival, but today--"

"He is a lot younger than we were, but he's known Cassie his whole life. Remember how he used to give her guy hugs when they were in elementary school?"

"Much to his teachers' dismay," Brennan added with a laugh. "Do you think Cassie will say yes?"

Angela's ears perked up. "Will Cassie say yes to what?"

Brennan lowered the phone as she turned to her best friend. "Liam's going to propose."

"Oh my God, sweetie!" Angela squealed. "Our kids are getting MARRIED!"

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**

**P.S. Brennan's line about agrarian societies comes from "The Man in the Mud."**


	15. The Parents at the Wedding

**AN: This will be the last chapter of "The Fluff in the Fanfiction." Thanks once more to everyone who has read and reviewed, and to my beloved beta CalleighAryn. Sweet Seeley Booth dreams to you all!**

XXXXXXXXXX

Nearly a quarter of a century earlier, in a small church, before a gathering of family members, FBI agents, squints, and one puckish Federal prosecutor, Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan had vowed to love and honor each other for the rest of their lives. Their first kiss as husband and wife had been met with thunderous applause. Now they were sitting, bodies touching and hands interlaced, in the first pew of the same church, eager to see their son Liam make his own vows to Hodgins and Angela's daughter Cassie.

As he stood at the altar awaiting his bride, Liam wiped his sweaty palms on the sides of his tuxedo jacket as discreetly as he could. He had never been more nervous and excited in his life. His big brother Parker, standing beside him as his best man, gave him an encouraging pat on the back and reminded him to keep breathing. _Keep breathing, _Liam repeated in his mind. _Right. I can do that. In, out, in, out, in…whoa. _His mouth dropped open as he caught sight of Cassie walking down the aisle with her father. He had never seen anyone look more stunning. He only hoped he wasn't drooling.

Booth grinned when he saw the look on his son's face because he was sure he had worn the same expression the moment he first saw Bones in her wedding dress. He remembered thinking then that he was so incredibly lucky to have this beautiful, brilliant, amazing woman as his wife. Two children, three dogs and hundreds of cases later, he still considered himself the luckiest guy on Earth. As he watched Liam and Cassie beam at each other while they said their vows, he knew that they would be as happy in their marriage as he and Bones were in theirs.

XXXXXXXXXX

"It was a very nice wedding," Booth said as he and Bones danced at the reception.

"I agree," Brennan replied. "It reminded me of Hodgins and Angela's first wedding…except no one from the government interrupted to say that Cassie was already married."

Booth laughed. "Thankfully. That would have been really--" He trailed off when he heard the first notes of _Hot Blooded_ blaring from the oversized speakers. "Hey, they're playing our song! Remember dancing to this at our wedding?"

"Of course. I was glad that we were able to finish the song without you getting blown up."

He laughed again and spun her around. "Me too."

When Booth spun her, Brennan saw Max bouncing Parker's baby daughter Joy in his lap. "Look at my father with Joy. He's so sweet."

Booth smiled at his father-in-law and granddaughter. "Yeah, he's being sweet _now_. Did you know that before our wedding he threatened to kill me?"

"Why?"

"Because he loves you. He told me that he liked me and he knew I was a good man, but he'd have to kill me if I ever did anything to hurt you. I promised him I never would."

"And you've kept your promise," she said with a kiss. "In my father's defense, you make similar threats of violence to any boy who dates Emily." She tilted her head towards their teenage daughter. Clad in a purple bridesmaid dress, she was sitting at a table with her boyfriend Matt.

"I know," he admitted. "It's what fathers of daughters do."

"So do you think Hodgins threatened Liam when he started dating Cassie?"

"What? No way, Bones. Hodgins has known Liam his whole life; he knows he's a great kid."

"I remember Hodgins and Angela visiting Liam in the hospital the day he was born," Brennan said, smiling at the memory. "Angela brought us baby name books because we hadn't picked a name yet, along with a multitude of gifts for him."

"Hodgins gave him a glowworm stuffed animal," Booth recalled. "He slept with that thing every night for years."

"And Angela said that she hoped Liam and Cassie would get married someday," Brennan added. "She finally got her wish." She turned to look at Angela, who was happily dancing with her husband.

Booth followed her gaze. He saw Angela winking at Hodgins when the song ended and the couple dashing off the dance floor hand in hand. "I wonder what they're running off to do," Booth joked.

"They're probably going to have sex," Brennan answered seriously. "Angela told me once that she found weddings to be a powerful aphrodisiac. She said that after Cam's wedding she and Hodgins barely made it to their car."

"Whoa, way too much information there, Bo--oh God."

"What's wrong?"

"Cassie's birthday is in February."

Brennan nodded. "February 11th. Don't worry--we have plenty of time to get her a suitable present."

"I'm not worried about that. I was just thinking that her birthday is almost exactly nine months after--"

"Our wedding," Brennan interrupted as the realization dawned on her. "Cassie was conceived after _our_ wedding, and now she's married to our son. Fascinating."

Booth shook his head. "Freaky."

"Angela and Hodgins weren't the only ones aroused after our wedding," Brennan said, wrapping her arms around him and lowering her voice. "You told me that, as gorgeous as I looked in my wedding dress, you couldn't wait to take it off me; You couldn't wait to show me what a wonderful husband you were going to be." She slid her hands down his back. "I wanted you just as much…maybe even more."

Booth let out a low moan. "Booones…"

"But we had to wait. Our friends and family were expecting us at the reception, and we couldn't disappoint them. So we went and ate and danced and thanked everyone for coming until eventually we were able to leave for our hotel. Remember drinking champagne…feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries…making love in that ridiculous heart shaped Jacuzzi…and on the private balcony…and on the King size bed with the red satin sheets?"

"I remember," Booth said breathlessly, bringing her mouth to his for a lengthy kiss.

"Geesh, guys, get a room," Liam joked as he and Cassie walked by his kissing parents.

Booth and Brennan pulled back to face one another and grinned. "Now that," Booth said, "is an excellent idea."

XXXXXXXXXX

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


End file.
